Q&A sessions can be brutal, particularly in college. Most questions lobbed are usually of the safe, "hopefully this won't embarass me" variety with the occasionally complex but nonsensical "Who invited that guy?" monologues splashed in for color. Then there's "The Ask," whereby one brave soul puts the poor keynote speaker on the spot for some sort of favor or demonstration, usually involving the questioner himself.

At a Vanderbilt event called "An Evening of Questions and Answers and A Little Bit of Music," student Michael Pollack stepped up to the plate when he asked the guest of honor, Billy Joel (you may have heard of him), if he could accompany him in a rendition of 'New York State of Mind.'

Rather than awkwardly laughing and begrudgingly giving in, Joel simply said "Okay," put on a pair of Ray Bans like a boss and proceeded to deliver an awesome vocal performance to accompany Pollack's unbelievable piano skills, while the crowd cheered both men on.

Those who resort to these types of cheap requests tend to under deliver and make for a forced and painful moment, but we have to give Pollack his due. The guy can play and even Joel himself seemed very impressed.

Unfortunately, Mr. Pollack could not be reached for comment since he's been knee-deep in Vanderbilt co-eds since January's event.